Food
In Defense Of Fat
All We Are Saying, Is Give Fat A Chance
Photo provided by Ten Speed Press
Substitutes for fat not only don't taste nearly as good, but also can prove to be health hazards of their own.
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Published: September 30, 2008
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Ladies and gentlemen of the culinary jury:
For too many years, my client, Mr. Fat, has been maligned as a health hazard and smeared as a public enemy. He has been accused of being the source of our children's obesity problem and the sole reason for heart attacks, strokes and just about every circulatory ailment known to man.
Diets have been created to combat my client. Public awareness campaigns target him as something to avoid. Entire categories of food - low-fat and nonfat - were created as a way to feed into the fear that feeding upon him and his related products is a near-toxic sin.
Substitutes for my client have proven faulty and, indeed, are health hazards of their own. Out of concern for public health, New York City bans the use of industrial produced trans-fat, which was created as a way to keep food moist and longer-lasting on store shelves instead of using natural fat.
How phobic have we become? How much has hysteria overcome reason? Columnist Dave Barry perhaps put it best when he joked, "Cigarette sales would drop to zero overnight if the warning said 'CIGARETTES CONTAIN FAT.' American consumers have no problem with carcinogens, but they will not purchase any product, including floor wax, that has fat in it."
That attitude becomes more stark and unfair when you consider that for all of human history, up until the last 50 years, fat had positive connotations, writes Jennifer McLagan in her new book "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient."
People lived off the "fat of the land," she notes. Earning "a fat paycheck" was a goal. The best meat was well-marbled and had a good coating of fat. Only the plumpest chicken made it to the cooking pot. People living in extreme conditions, such as Eskimos and African tribes, survived only because their food was high in fat.
Fat was esteemed for its culinary virtues until the 1950s, when fears over rising coronary heart disease attempted to link cholesterol intake to animal fat consumption.
"Eating animal fat didn't kill our ancestors, and there is no proof that a low-fat diet improves our health or lengthens our life," McLagan writes. "The best computer projections generated by fat researchers reveal that a low-fat diet may add a mere two weeks to our life. Is it worth it? I don't think so, though an existence without flavorful fat would seem very long indeed."
We would concur with this reasoning and present the following exhibits in my client's defense.
EXHIBIT A: Fat is a necessary nutrient.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the human body needs fat to function properly. Not only is it an energy source, but fat is used in the production of cell membranes, as well as in several hormonelike compounds that regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood vessel constriction, blood clotting and the nervous system. Dietary fat carries fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E and K - from your food into your body. Fat also helps maintain healthy hair and skin, protects vital organs, keeps your body insulated and provides a sense of fullness after meals.
EXHIBIT B: Fat provides a perfect cooking environment.
In their book "Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing," Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn write that slow-cooking poultry, pork or even fish submerged in fat may be the best possible way to cook it.
"Fat is the perfect cooking medium for a leg of duck or a chunk of pork belly. Fat that's solid at room temperature also becomes the perfect environment in which to store your cooked meat, protecting it from oxygen and light. And, finally, the fat ensures that when the meat is reheated, it remains moist."
EXHIBIT C: Butter has been around a long time.
Traces of butterfat found on pottery shards have dated to 4000 B.C. It was believed to have magical powers and to be worthy of sacrifice to the gods. The ancient philosopher Pliny wrote of its medicinal properties - it was synonymous with ointment for centuries - by calling it "the most delicate food among barbarous nations." Who are we to argue with Pliny?
EXHIBIT D: Fat is delicious.
That bacon you crunch at breakfast? It would have almost no flavor without fat in it. (Anyone who has eaten low-fat bacon can attest to its unsatisfying artificial flavoring.) Fat keeps food succulent. At high heat, it carmelizes food and gives it a crisp texture. Almost all the flavor in meat comes from the fat, not the muscle tissue.
McLagan says that her favorite thing to eat is potatoes fried in duck fat. The recipe in her book for Fat Fat-Cooked Fries comes from Michel Guerard, author of "
Cuisine Minceur (Diet Food)."
"It is reassuring to know that the chef who gave us French lean cuisine also appreciates the power of duck fat," McLagan writes."
What she does not advocate is unceasing fat intake. Moderation is key, she says. But then, it is in regards to all things.
IN HER WORDS
"I love fat, whether it's a slice of fois gras terrine, its layer of yellow fat melting at the edges; rich, soft marrow scooped hot from the bone; French butter from Normandy redolent of herbs, flowers and cream; hot bacon fat, spiked with vinegar, wilting a plate of pungent greens into submission; a slice or two of fine ham eaten just as its fat begins to turn translucent from the warmth of the room, sweet, nutty and salty all at once; or a piece of crunchy pork crackling, delicious either hot or cold. I love fat; I love the way it feels in my mouth and I love its many tastes."
JENNIFER McLAGAN
Author of "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient"
BIG FAT TIPS
To store solid fats: Wrap them tightly and refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze for several months. Fats absorb odors, so keep them away from strongly flavored foods. Shortening can be kept at room temperature for up to a year. Unlike other solid fats, it is impervious to odors.
Note: McLagan does not endorse the use of shortening. "It is not a good fat – if you can store it at room temperature for a year it's hydrogenated and that means trans fats".
To store oils: Keep all oils in the refrigerator, including olive and canola oils, but especially fragile nut oils such as walnut, macadamia nut and almond. If the cool temperature makes the oil solid or cloudy, bring it to room temperature again to make it clear.
To replace butter with oil: Use 80 percent of the butter's measure in oil. Oil is 100 percent fat, and butter is only 80 percent fat. For example: replace one stick (1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons) of butter with about 6 1/2 tablespoons oil.
To determine whether oil is hot enough for cooking: Look for a shimmering appearance on the surface. Avoid letting the oil smoke, at which point it will be overheated.
To clarify pan drippings or oil used for deep-frying: Pour drippings or oil into a funnel or cone-shaped sieve lined with a coffee filter, a double layer of cheesecloth or a heavy-duty paper towel. Cool and store in the refrigerator. All vegetable oils used for deep frying can be reused at least once if strained.
To discard oils: Sop up small amounts with a paper towel and discard. For larger amounts, cool and pour into a jar with a lid. Discard in the trash.
To measure solid fat: Use the displacement method. For example, to measure 1/2 cup shortening, fill a liquid measuring cup with 1/2 cup water and add shortening or margarine until the water level rises to the 1 cup mark. Pour off the water before using.
To rid fry oil of odors: Eliminate the smell before reusing by frying a few slices of raw potato in the oil. Discard the potato before reusing the oil.
Source: "Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks," by David Joachim (Rodale, $21.95)
SPICY BUTTERED POPCORN
8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the popcorn on the paper. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan, and place over medium-low heat. Stir until the butter and sugar melt and the mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring and boil until it reaches 250 degrees on a kitchen thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the chipotle peppers and baking soda.
Pour the mixture over the popcorn, and stir with a spatula until the popcorn is evenly coated.
Bake the popcorn for 35 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
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